Mezopuzzle: A Puzzle That Tells a Tale

Mezopuzzle, designed by Avallon Alliance, is a different type of puzzle with a cool Mayan artwork, along with myths and legends that keep each level entertaining.

Like most puzzle games, the object is simple enough: the screen is filled with blocks in various Tetris-like shapes, a few of which are embedded with fragments of a gold coin. To move to the next level, you must rearrange the blocks in the space provided until the coin is whole again.

The first level is extremely easy, as the coin is only broken in two pieces and there aren’t many blocks, giving you lots of room to move around in. But as you progress, the coin is broken into three or four pieces, and more blocks fill the screen. Trying to manipulate the blocks with only a small amount of empty space to work with is a bit like trying to get all of one color on one side of a Rubik’s cube.

The game is divided into three Mayan legends, each of which has ten levels. Once you successfully complete one level, a bit of the legend is revealed. Only by finishing all ten levels can you read the end of the story. Each legend (as well as each individual level) is progressively harder to complete.

Of course, points are tallied based on how quickly you complete each level, and you can sync your score online to see how you rank with others. But for me at least, the story is a nice motivator to keep pushing through each level. The legends are the typical moral driven stories with love at first sight, magic, witches, and talking animals, but I can’t stand not reading to the end of anything so this, even more than the score, pushes me to complete each level!

That being said, I spent quite a bit of time with Mezopuzzle the first time I played, so I must say it is addictive. It’s refreshing to have a puzzle that isn’t timer or score driven, and the levels do get quite challenging. I also love that the developers studied quite a bit of Mezoamerican culture and Mayan folklore, and applied it to their app. Overall, I’d say this is a game worth checking out.

Mezopuzzle requires the iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later and is compatible with both iPhone and iPod Touch.